Maccabi Tel Aviv introduced Oded Katash as their new head coach at a festive press conference held at Yad Eliyahu. The Israeli bench boss spoke about a myriad of topics as he answered questions from the assembled press corps.

Opening statement:
“I’m very proud and excited to be here and you can see that I am excited. I really want to thank everyone for this great opportunity which will be a challenge and I also understand the responsibility as well. I feel that this is the right moment at the right time for me and I can share that we are already working and even at an advanced stage. There is no question that we will do the utmost as a staff in order to turn the team into a wining one that will excite the fans. we are expecting to bring real excitement to Yad Eliyahu.”

Working together with David Blatt:
“I am happy that David Blatt is part of the team and this is something very big for the club. To be able to work with David Blatt is a huge honor and I’ll be able to learn from one of the greatest if not the greatest of coaches. He will be the Chairman of the Professional Committee and we will all take responsibility together in building the team and in the results. I know the fans are waiting to hear some exciting things but right now I can’t but I can say that there are some exciting things on the way over the next few days.”

About the Professional Committee:
“David will be the Chairman of the Professional Committee while Nikola Vujcic and Avi Even who is the head of scouting along with myself will make joint decisions. David will be an important figure and his contribution is clear but we will all help make the decisions, as there will be professional questions, differing opinions and debates. We will discuss and debate and there won’t be one person that will have the right to veto. We will come out of our meetings with joint decisions that is agreed upon by all parties.”

Why taking over the coaching reins in the middle of last season didn’t work out:
“I didn’t expect this and I wasn’t surprised. We spoke during the season and it didn’t work out but now at the end of the day the it all came together.”

The differences becoming coach now than when he was appointed the forts time in 2007:
“The feelings now are totally different from before hand and those were times that I don’t even remember. Now I’m much more prepared and a more experienced coach and I hope things will come together. In fact, I’m certain that things will be fine.”

On returning to the sidelines after a season away from the bench:
“It’s very interesting. Many times players say that when they return from an injury they see things differently. Seeing things from the outside is very important and as a player that was also the case when I came back from an injury. Both in Jerusalem and Panathinaikos I went through some very intense moments and then things came to a halt and I saw things from the outside. You experience so many feelings and moments during these times. This past summer when I was not involved in basketball I lost confidence and I saw everyone else involved. But peering in from the side changed me. Things started to come together and I would recommend anyone to do just that for themselves if they are able to.”

The importance of defense:
“Basketball is a game that is played on both sides of the court and we will need to put an emphasis on our defense. Confidence begins on the defensive end.”

Challenge of building a squad from scratch:
“The biggest challenge is putting together the staff and we will do that over the next few days. I can’t really talk about who is coming and who is staying but we will have some new names and exciting ones.”

Style of play:
“I am always adjusting. After my time at PAO I found that I had a better understanding of the level of the Euroleague. At the end of the day we are talking about basketball and I have a love for the defensive game no less than the offensive side.”

On having an Israeli coach at Maccabi for the first time in a number of years and the Israeli presence within the squad in general:
“I think that it helps out and that’s clear. Maccabi can’t fix all of the issues in Israeli basketball and that is not the club’s role. I believe in the Israeli player a lot and I’ve given them a lot of chances but I’ve never done that just because they are Israelis. Some players will deserve that chance to be in Maccabi but that’s not the way we will be building the team.

The Israel National Team:
“We all hope that the national team will be successful and I am happy that I had a part in that. I had a good time at Gilboa working with a lot of young players and coaches and it’s a very important club for Israeli basketball and right now there is a very big question mark about them. I want to try and do the best I can to help them out as they are a very important club for Israeli basketball.”

Scottie Wilbekin’s abilities:
“I can’t really talk about one player or another but I can say that Wilbekin is a very important player. We spend a lot of time on combinations of players and that is a big part of this process. It’s not just two players but it’s something very abstract, challenging and something that I very much enjoy.”

About Iftach Ziv:
“I like Iftach very much but it’s not my goal to talk about specifics.”

The grand old days of Maccabi Tel Aviv:
“It’s a club that knows what the goals are and they are very clear. We know that we will have to build a new team and we will get there. There is a lot of work, commitment and coming together as a team to go along with belief.”

Will the squad be built with depth in mind or shorter with more quality:
“It’s preferable to have both, one that is rich and one that is healthy. We will need a deep team in order to be able to withstand the amount of games that we will need to play. It’s important to have Israelis playing as well and not to have two teams as well as quality players who can influence the game. It’s also important to have players that can fit into the style I like to play and play defensively, but there are also limitations due to the budget and the markets for players.”